Now posted by the European Southern Observatory (ESO): https://www.eso.org/public/announcements/ann25011/16 Dec 2025, New SOXS instrument ready to observe fleeting cosmic events The SOXS instrument– Son of X-Shooter- has been installed on the La Silla telescope in Chile, and has taken test… Read More »ESO SOXS Now On
Hot on the heels of the last apparent comet discovery: http://www.cbat.eps.harvard.edu/iau/cbet/005600/CBET005648.txt We have multiple reports of an object with a coma and/or tail- therefore indicating activity, therefore indicating a comet. Except this “comet” orbits, to the precision of our measurements… Read More »*NEW* : Main-Belt Comet P/2025 W4 (Pan-STARRS)
The December issue of Nature Astronomy is out (vol. 9), and: Rehemtulla, N. Coughlin, M. W. Miller, A. A. et al. The automation of optical transient discovery and classification in Rubin-era time-domain astronomy p 1764 s41550-025-02720-6 There is simply no… Read More »Vera Rubin Upload
Quick blurb in Astronomers’ Telegram: www.astronomerstelegram.org/?read=17538Jehin, E. Hmiddouch, S. Aravind, K. et al. TRAPPIST bright comets production rates: 3I/ATLAS, 24P/Schaumasse, C/2025 T1 (ATLAS), C/2025 K1 (ATLAS) and C/2025 R2 (SWAN)on 10 Dec 2025: 22:50 UT Besides covering multiple comets, coverage of interstellar… Read More »ATLAS Slight-Aperture Brightnesses
Time for the Autumn meeting of the AGU (American Geophysical Union). The big meet is in New Orleans, Dec. 15-19: https://www.agu.org/annual-meeting As you might expect from the name “Geophysical”, it mostly deals with the Earth. It deals with the Earth… Read More »2025-Fall AGU Meeting
Let’s catch up with preprints: Astrophysics > Earth and Planetary Astrophysics arxiv.org/abs/2512.09020Hoogendam, W. B. Kuesters, D. Shappee, B. J. et al. University of Hawaii 88-inch Telescope Observations of the Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Spectrophotometric Blue-Sensitive Spectral Time Series Spanning Two Months… Read More »3I Timely Time Series
The November issue of Meteoritics & Planetary Science (vol. 60 #11) is finally up, on December 11. Oh well: Harrison, C. S. King, A. J. Jones, R. H. et al. Petrography of phosphates in CI and CY carbonaceous chondrites Pg… Read More »Note, Paper: Grain and Phosphate Explainer
Just out from the Science media family: Science vol. 390 #6778, December 2025Robin George Andrews, 11 Dec 2025 Planet Protector science.zolm8st Sarah Crespi, Elah Feder, Robin George Andrews 11 Dec 2025 Hunting asteroids from space, and talking to pollinators with… Read More »NEO Surveyor We Cover
New in PNAS (Pub. Natl. Acad. Scis.) as of Dec 9, 2025 (vol. 122 #49): Mojarro, A. Aponte, J. C. Dworkin, J. P. Prebiotic organic compounds in samples of asteroid Bennu indicate heterogeneous aqueous alteration e2512461122 pnas.2512461122 Organic compounds: yes, asteroids… Read More »Note, Paper: Bennu Stew New Amino
In the Planetary And Space Science December 2025 issue (vol. 269): Gorshanov, D. L. Sokova, I. A. Petrova, S. N. et al. Testing the binarity of asteroid (720) Bohlinia using lightcurve analysis Art 106217 .2025.106217 We think there’s a satellite around… Read More »Note, Paper: Sat Anal Validated?